And so on.....

Fishing at Firstsite

And so, I finally made it to Firstsite for the 'Listening' exhibition. And I was not disappointed. To me this is what a leading contemporary art gallery should do; something a little bit different, something to make you feel and think. And my feelings went from peace and almost elation, listening to the elegiac sounds of Ragnar Kjartansson's 'Song' accompanied by a mesmeric video, through intrigue and tension, to veritable claustrophobia as all the sounds built up. A wonderful show, and I would encourage you to experience it on a sensory level rather that think too much about it. Allow at least half an hour, more if you've the stamina to listen to/watch all 6 hours of 'Song'. Ragnar Kjartansson was a big hit in London at the back end of last year, and has a major exhibition at the Barbican next summer, so it's great to see his work here in Colchester.

Song 2011, Ragnar Kjartansson

This exhibition is full of allusion, and the title of this article is taken from Lina Lapelyte's 'O',
the physical part of which is shown below.
....and since the exhibition includes the sound of a dying star (a bit cryptic this one, I even had to ask where it was!), today's song in the Beatles classic 'Across the Universe'. Since I hit on this tenuous connection I listened to the lyrics (couldn't get beyond 'Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup' from memory), full of allusion, just right for this exhibition.
Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing through my open ears.....thanks John.

'O' 2014, Lina Lapelyte